*Jozzua

Since I read a lot about the psychology of excellence and talk a lot about getting into “the zone,” I couldn’t help but notice Laker Kobe Bryant’s championship-leading performance. By now, you would know that the Los Angeles Lakers made it to this year’s finals. At the forth quarter stretch of the last game, Kobe totally took over the game to blast the San Antonio Spurs.

Last year I totally hated Kobe. The NBA announcers said you’d either love of hate him. Well, before his performance this season (particularly during the playoffs), I’m one of those who hated him. Why? He was a cocky ball hog who couldn’t take any team to the championship. He was all SHOW and no results. That’s what he was.

Now that has changed. There are two very distinct differences to the Kobe today versus that of the previous NBA seasons:

1. He now passes to his team mates. Kobe has discovered a simple basketball concept - the drop pass. An assist to a trusted team mate will always do wonders. It frees up a player and makes the defenders concerned about other players. Kobe probably learned that 50+ point game performances don’t matter if your team doesn’t win.

2. He has learned that killer fadeaway jump shot. Kobe always drives and slashes to the hoop. That doesn’t matter much if 3 defenders are waiting close to the rim. Michael Jordan had a simple jump shot that made him difficult to guard. Now, Kobe learned it. You see, great players can both drive to the net and yet put in a simple SURE-SHOT middle range jumper. Making that jump shot into a fade away - which is extremely difficult to blog, virtually guarantees a score every time.

These two basic skills have contributed to what I now call the Kobe Bryant effect. It translates to a game winning performance.

Kobe has evolved. He has learned to go beyond himself. He now leads. For that, I’m now a solid fan.

Kobe’s performance is inspiring. Just look at yourself. How do you evolve to the next level? You know you are already good at something - perhaps a skill that you have ingrained in your mind. Can you now trust other people with some of your work? Can you learn new skills?

Personally, I consider this the CRUX of leadership and growth. To get past this would be to create your own effect to your team, family and friends. I reflect about the magnificent Ely effect - now what would that be?

How about you? What is your effect?

I was in Legazpi last week. We gave a seminar on “Leadership.” It was an echoing of lessons we learned from a previous (Guthrie-Jensen) workshop we attended. There are three basic topics I distinctly remember from it:

1. Motivate - you’ve got to motivate people You don’t force them. You create an environment for them to flourish, to discover the best within them. I loved this lesson. You remember the parable of the sun and the wind?

Once long ago the Sun and the Wind made a bet. It happened on one summers day long long ago…and this is how it came about….

The Wind said boastfully “I am far stronger than you are.”

The Sun just looked at the wind and said nothing.

So the Wind went on to say, “I am so much stronger than you are that look down at that traveler on the road. I bet I can make him take off his cloak before you can.”

The Sun just kept looking and said nothing still.

So the Wind then said, “So I will go first as I know you will never be able to do that.” So the Wind proceeded to blow and blow and blow. But all the traveler did was clutch his cloak tighter to himself. Finally the Wind was so tired he gave up, saying, “Well if I could not do it then surely you cannot…So there is not really any sense in you trying to remove his cloak.”

The entire time this had been going on the Sun had decided to hide behind a cloud. So the sun then came out and began to beam. Very slowly it began to get warmer so much so that the traveler when he came to a stream took off his cloak and all his clothes to go swimming.

Moral: Gentle persuasion is often more effective than brute force. Simple and memorable.

2. Communicate - a basic skill for all leaders. To get cooperation, don’t hide facts. Tell everything. Give subordinates a big picture of what’s going on. The tendency is that they will help figure out and solve problems for you.

Communication is a two way process. You don’t simply tell your staff what to do - you must get feedback. Make sure that they’ve understood what you’ve said. They should be able to repeat, in their words, the general thought of your message.

3. Delegate - You simply can’t do everything on your own. I used to do everything on my own. I had this “know it all” complex. Have you ever experienced that? You want to do everything? You can’t seem to rely on people?

Well it will be that way until you realize, you’ve got to let go. You’ve got to let them learn on their own and make mistakes. It will take much longer than just doing stuff on your own but the benefits will ultimately outweigh the momentary costs.

This became evident during the trip itself. While in the training sessions, I had some important projects that needed immediate attention. You know what? I called my trusted staff in Manila and she handled most of the tasks I requested. She’s learned to work on her own - cause she knows the bigger picture.

To effectively delegate, give them a clear picture of the situation, define specific tasks and deadlines, then get their feedback. Simple formula that works.

Be Creators of Leaders

Ultimately, your goal as a leader is to develop other leaders. You replicate yourself in them.

What about you? What will happen in the office when your staff are able to do what you do? Should you be insecure? Of course not.

You become bigger than who you are. Always think, you’ll eventually move on to bigger and better things yourself. Your staff will be where you were as you evolve and grow beyond your current standing. Be more than where you are.

Makes sense?

By the way, thank you very much to our hosts in Legazpi City. A tribute to you: